Feeder for moving refuse and like compactable materials



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w I m. V 7 .m

ATTORNEYS.

B. B. REILLY FEEDER FOR MOVING REFUSE AND LIKE COMPACTABLE MATERIALSFiled March 5, 1965 5- B. REILLY Feb. 14, 1967 F'lEDER FOR MOVING REFUSEAND LIKE COMPACTABLE MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 1965 INVENTOR.BERTRAM B. REILLY.

ATTO R N EYS United States Patent 3,303,947 FEEDER FOR MOVING REFUSE ANDLIKE COMPAQTABLE MATERIALS Bertram B. Reilly, 17 Briar Cliff Road,Pittsburgh, Pa. 15202 Filed Mar. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 436,822 4 Claims.(Cl. 21423) This invention relates to a feeder for moving large amountsof compactable material, such as refuse, from one enclosure to another,as where municipal refuse is moved from a receiving bin into anincinerator.

In moving or feeding large volumes of compactable material, such asmunicipal refuse, it is desirable, due to the varied nature of thematerial, to push it through a confined channel or passage with apressure-actuated ram or plunger. Such apparatus requires a minimumnumber of mechanical parts which may be contacted by the refuse, andtherefore involves minimum risk of the widely varying components ofrefuse becoming involved with or fouling the feeding or transfermechanism.

Since the invention has particular application to the feeding or themoving of refuse into an incinerator, it will be particularly describedherein for such purpose, but without limitation to the feeding of othermaterials or in other environments which involve like or similarproblems.

A difliculty in feeding municipal refuse or the like by a ram-operatedpusher as above described is the frictional resistance offered by thematerial to being pushed through a confined passageway with the resultthat as the resistance increases, the compaction of the material beingmoved increases, thereby further increasing the resistance to itsmovement. This is particularly so with the pushing of rubbish of variouskinds horizontally into an incinerator, where, because of the hightemperature in the incinerator the passageway or portions thereofthrough which the refuse is moved is of a refractory material that has asubstantially higher frictional coefficient than metal plates that maybe used elsewhere. The compacting of the rubbish is particularlyobjectionable under these conditions, because it is more difficult toburn the rubbish after it has been so compacted,

According to the present invention provision is made for decreasing thefrictional resistance to the movement of the material through a passageby means of air jets in one or more walls, particularly the bottom wallor floor of the passageway in the region of greatest resistance to themovement of the rubbish. Air so admitted tends to levitate or float thematerial and reduce the frictional contact between the refuse and thepassage walls through which air is so admitted. Also the air tends toloosen the material which rests on the ceramic until it is pushed alongby a succeeding mass of material with the feeding stroke of the pusher.

The invention has for its object to provide a pusher type feeder forcompactable material with a feed passage in which air is utilized in amanner to reduce the resistance of the passage to the movement of thematerial therethrough, and particularly to facilitate the feeding ofmunicipal refuse into an incinerator.

The invention may be more fully understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings showing an embodiment of the invention andwherein:

FIG. 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section through a pusher typefeeder arrangement at the charging end of an incinerator; and

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section in the plane of line IIII of FIG. 1.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate correspondingparts, there is shown somewhat schematically the forward or charging endof an incinerator A, with a horizontal charging passage 2 in the frontwall l3 thereof. This charging passage is generally rectangular ll'lsection, being wider than it is high. It has a'refractory bottom wall orfloor 3, side walls 4, and a top wall 5. At 6 there is an upwardly andoutwardly-movable door, movable from the closed position shown in thedrawings to the open position indicated by dot-ted lines. A fluidpressure cylinder and piston mechanism 7 is here indicated for operatingthe door.

Forwardly of the charging door there is a receiving bin C at the top ofwhich there may be a platform D from which trucks dump refuse int-o thebin. The bin has side walls 10 and a metal bottom 11 flush with thefloor 3 of the passage. The wall opposite the incinerator opening isdesignated 10a. At the bottom of wall 10a there is a pusher 12 having apan portion 12a that rides on the bottom of the bin and a verticalpusher plate 12b. There are bracing gussets 14 attached to both platesfor strengthening the pusher. At the rear of the pusher there is a ramhaving a fixed cylinder 15 and a plunger 16 which is attached to thepusher at 17. There is an apron 18 at the back of the pusher over theplunger which moves with the plunger. Beneath the apron are supportingrollers 19.

In operation, the plunger moves the pusher toward the charging passage,forcing refuse in the lower portion of the bin toward and into theassage, while the apron 18 prevents the overlying refuse from getting inbehind the pusher. At this time the door 6 is open and the refuse ispushed forward onto the floor 3 of the passage and then withdraws torepeat the operation, pushing the material previously advanced off thefloor 3 into the incinerator.

According to the present invention, one or more walls of the refractorypassage, and especially the floor 3, is provided with means forprojecting high pressure jets of air outwardly from the wall surface.The floor 3 in the critical area has numerous air passages therethrough,and provision is made for forcing air under pressure upwardly throughthese passages. One arrangement for accomplishing this is hereillustrated wherein there is a series of parallel pipes 20 beneath thesurface of the refractory, each having outlet holes therealong toproject air up through registering holes or ports 21 extending throughthe refractory to the surface. These pipes are connected with a manifold22, preferably through individual control valves 23. The manifold isconnected to a source of high pressure air, not shown. The air streamsor jets are disposed across substantially the full width of the bottom 3and for a portion at least of its length, especially the portion whereimpaction of the material is most likely to impede its movement.

In operation, as the refuse starts to move through the opening and theforward part of the mass being pushed starts to encounter substantialresistance, the jets of air entering through the passages or ports 21 inthe bottom wall tend to lift the mass, and interpose air between therefuse and the surface along which it is moving. The air may be usedcontinuously or may be used only under certain conditions. If the refuseis dry and easily moved, the air may not be necessary, but when therefuse is damp or soggy, or has gummy or sticky components, it isdesirable to use it. The air not only reduces the friction, but aeratesthe refuse and may aid in loosening and drying it. The refuse willnormally rest on the passage floor 3 until the next feeding stroke ofthe pusher when it will be pushed ahead by the incoming charge andeventually move onto the incinerator grates. The high pressure air keepsthe holes 21 free of material that tends to get into them.

While I have shown and specifically described one embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in theconstruction and the Patented Feb. 14, 1967 9 invention may be otherwiseembodied within the contemplation of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a bin having bottom, side and end walls forretaining a supply of compactable material, said bin having a dischargeopening in one end wall thereof leading into a passageway having abottom and sides with thebottom of the opening and of the passagewaybeing flush with the bottom of the bin, a pusher at the bottom of thebin movable from a retracted position adjacent the other end wall ofthebin toward and through said discharge opening into said passageway,the pusher being arranged to support the overlying mass of material inthe bin as the lowermost mass at the bottomis pushed through the openinginto the passageway, the walls of the bin extending above the level ofthe pusher so that the bin may retain substantially more material thanthe pusher can move in. a single operation, one wall of the passagewayhaving means therein to blow air therein at numerous locations againstand into the mass of material which has' been pushed throughsaid openingand compacted by such pushing, thereby aerating the same and reducingits resistance to further movement along the passageway andtthecompacting eflect which it exerts against a succeeding mass similarlypushed from the bin through the discharge opening.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which the wall of the openingthrough which air is supplied is the bottom 4 wall of the passage andthe means for supplying air is effective across substantially the entirewidth of the passage and also over a portion of the length of the bottomwall of the passage.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 in which the wall of the openingthrough which air is supplied is the bottom wall of the passage and themeans for supplying air is effective across substantially the entirewidth of the passage and also over a portion of the length of the bottomwall of the passage, said bottom wallof the passage being formed ofrefractory material.

4. The combination defined in claim 1 in which the Wall of the openingthrough which air is supplied is the bottom wall of the passage and themeans for supplying air is effective across substantially the entirewidth of the passage and also over a portion of the length of the bottomwall of the passage, said bottom wall of the passage being formed ofrefractory material, said bottom wall of the passage being locatedinside anincinerating furnace.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1908 Leask214-23 6/1960 Reed 214-1 X

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A BIN HAVING BOTTOM, SIDE AND END WALLS FORRETAINING A SUPPLY OF COMPACTABLE MATERIAL, SAID BIN HAVING A DISCHARGEOPENING IN ONE END WALL THEREOF LEADING INTO A PASSAGEWAY HAVING ABOTTOM AND SIDES WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE OPENING AND OF THE PASSAGEWAYBEING FLUSH WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE BIN, A PUSHER AT THE BOTTOM OF THEBIN MOVABLE FROM A RETRACTED POSITION ADJACENT THE OTHER END WALL OF THEBIN TOWARD AND THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING INTO SAID PASSAGEWAY, THEPUSHER BEING ARRANGED TO SUPPORT THE OVERLYING MASS OF MATERIAL IN THEBIN AS THE LOWERMOST MASS AT THE BOTTOM IS PUSHED THROUGH THE OPENINGINTO THE PASSAGEWAY, THE WALLS OF THE BIN EXTENDING ABOVE THE LEVEL OFTHE PUSHER SO THAT THE BIN MAY RETAIN SUBSTANTIALLY MORE MATERIAL THANTHE PUSHER CAN MOVE IN A SINGLE OPERATION, ONE WALL OF THE PASSAGEWAYHAVING MEANS THEREIN TO BLOW AIR THEREIN AT NUMEROUS LOCATIONS AGAINSTAND INTO THE MASS OF MATERIAL WHICH HAS BEEN PUSHED THROUGH SAID OPENINGAND COMPACTED BY SUCH PUSHING, THEREBY AERATING THE SAME AND REDUCINGITS RESISTANCE TO FURTHER MOVEMENT ALONG THE PASSAGEWAY AND THECOMPACTING EFFECT WHICH IT EXERTS AGAINST A SUCCEEDING MASS SIMILARLYPUSHED FROM THE BIN THROUGH THE DISCHARGE OPENING.